Our president continues to call for increased government spending but says it won’t raise the deficit. I’m not someone who believes all government spending is bad or that it cannot help the economy grow, but at least when New York Times columnist Paul Krugman calls for more spending, he admits it will raise the deficit.

Much of the spending the president has done over the past four years has added to the deficit; it is likely that new spending will be no different. It would be nice if the president were as straightforward as Krugman.

If President Barack Obama believes that reducing spending at this time would damage the recovery and the economy, as Krugman does, then he should come out and say so.

Then Americans can have a real debate about that.

By spinning fairy tales that more spending will not add to the deficit, the president engages in the same game played in the Bush administration: making statements and promises that simply are not supported by the facts in an effort to shield Americans from some very harsh realities.